 Let's talk about the Strelitzia Nicolae. This plant is also commonly known as the giant white bird of paradise, and this is because the flowers are white. This is different to the Strelitzia Reginae, where the flowers are yellow or purple, so it tends to be more colorful. But still, I think the Strelitzia Nicolae is very beautiful, and it's a very popular house plant. It originated in South Africa, and it is the causing of the bandana plant, which is a plant that grows really big, and just like her cousin, this plant is also going to grow really big under the right conditions. So if you keep her ideal care, this plant is going to grow up to 6 meter tall indoors, which is pretty big, so make sure you have the space for her to grow. And if you feel that it's getting really big, you can have her temporarily, and then you can gift it to someone that has more space. As I said, this is a very popular house plant, because it's a beautiful plant, it's also not so hard to take care of, and it's going to make your house look like a jungle. So let me tell you how you can keep your plant very happy, and to make her thrive at your place. As I said, the Strelitzia comes from South Africa, so they like humid conditions. Now, they're not going to be as particular with humidity as the Galatheas, for example. So they will be happy in normal household humidity levels. We just want to make sure that we don't place our plant at a location where the air will be really dry. So this could be, for example, close to a heating vent or close to the AC. If you see that your Strelitzia is splitting at the center of the leaf, and you see brown and crispy edges, this is a very good sign that your plant is lacking humidity. You may also see that your Strelitzia is splitting on the side of the leaves, and this is totally normal, it's part of the aging process, so you don't have to worry about that. In terms of temperature, the Strelitzia likes to be on the warmer side of the spectrum. So keep her at a place that is above 15 degrees Celsius, and keep in mind that this plant is not frost tolerant. So avoid placing her close to windows that are going to be open and closed, and you're going to have many cold drafts coming in and out, because your plant won't be happy there. When talking about light, my experience with this plant has shown me that we want to give her as much bright light as possible. Even direct light is going to be great for this plant. If you see that new leaves are taking months to unfurl, this is a very good sign that your plant is lacking sunlight. Another possible sign that your plant is lacking sunlight is when the stems are really long and thin, and the leaves are really small. This may be a very good sign that your plant is really trying to reach the light, and that's why it looks leggy and long. So if you see these problems with your plant, make sure that you provide more light, either more sunlight, or you can also bring her close to a grow light. Water is a very important topic when we're talking about the care for this plant. And this is because root rot and over watering can be main causes for your plant to die. So in order to prevent over watering, we want to make sure that the soil dries out in between waterings. And the way that I check is I stick my finger in the soil every week, and once I feel that the soil is dry, then I water. During the growing season, I have noticed that this is roughly every week. And in the winter, since the plant goes dormant, it takes a little longer for the soil to dry out. So in that case, I just water less often. Another tip that I can give you to prevent over watering your plant is to use the bottom watering method. For this one, I actually use a combination of bottom watering and top watering. And the way that I do it is that I place the pot in a container and then I water from the top. Then I let the water drain down through the drainage holes and I leave the pot in the container with the water so the plant can absorb the water from the bottom. After 15 to 20 minutes, I lift the pot and I let the water drain down through the drainage holes. That way, I make sure that the soil is moist but not wet. And this has helped me so much to prevent over watering my plants, so I strongly recommend it. Now, one last thing with watering is that this plant is actually not happy with salty water. So avoid using tap water when watering your plant because this may have some chemicals or salts in the water. And this may affect your plant. You may start to see that the leaves are turning brown and this may be a sign that the water is too harsh on her. So what I would recommend is that you use filtered or distilled water. If you want, you can also use tap water but put it in a bucket and let it stand there for about 48 hours. During this time, some of the chemicals will evaporate from the water. So it won't be so harsh on your plant. In terms of potting mix, this plant is not super particular so an all purpose house plant potting mix is perfect for her. I usually make my own potting mix and it seems to work with this plant so I make it with coconut coir for moisture retention, pumice or pear light for drainage and warm castings for nutrition. And nutrition is very important for this plant because it is a big feeder, especially in the growing season so I strongly recommend that you use warm castings in your potting mix which takes me to the next point, which is fertilizer. As I said, the Strelicia is a big feeder and especially in the growing season. So we should fertilize our plant during the growing season which is from spring to fall. So I can tell you I prefer to use organic fertilizer because organic fertilizer tends to be less concentrated than synthetic fertilizer. And as a plant beginner, I'm still learning with my fertilizer so I really like organic fertilizer because it helps me prevent over fertilization. Another way to provide more nutrients for your plant is to use warm castings in your potting mix. Warm castings include many nutrients that our plants need so adding some more castings to our potting mix will actually help your plant thrive and grow. Strelicia Nicolae is toxic to animals and humans if consumed. So make sure to have your plant out of reach of cats, dogs, or babies just so everyone is safe. One extra tip that I can give you is to always keep the leaves of your plant clean. I can tell you I clean the leaves of my Strelicia every time that I water her and it's a very calming process. It helps me be present with my plant and it also is really good for the plant. This is because it is a great way to prevent pests and also keep your plant clean and ready to receive the sunlight on the leaves. I like to make the cleaning solution myself so I use peppermint essential oil with some lavender soap and I can tell you the aroma is super relaxing and it's also very good to prevent pests. So yeah, I would strongly recommend that you do this and if you have any other tips of how to take care of the Strelicia make sure to comment below. I can assure you that the whole community will appreciate it and as always, I will see you in the next one. Okay, ciao!